Like Mitch Trubisky, the Pittsburgh Steelers are right where we are: sitting at home being mad. Although they managed to make the playoffs in 2023, they lost in the first round. It has now been seven years without a postseason victory, the longest drought in franchise history. The question is what to do next.
The first step is always taking stock of what happened and what is left. That’s part of the exit meeting process, in which coaches meet with each player. They discuss the season and their expectations moving forward—and potentially their role within it.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between head coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2023 season.
Player: Mitch Trubisky
Position: Quarterback
Experience: 7 Years
Considering he is no longer on the roster, we can deduce that Mitch Trubisky did not have a successful season. The Steelers released him earlier this month, the only mildly surprising factor being the timing of it. His contract included a roster bonus due earlier in the new league year, though, making a decision imminent.
Signed to a two-year, $14 million contract in 2022, Trubisky began his Steelers career as a bridge starter. That lasted all of four games before he lost his job to Kenny Pickett. Most recently, he lost his job to Mason Rudolph as Pickett’s backup.
Trubisky finished the 2023 season starting two of five games. He went 67-for-107 passing for 632 yards with four touchdowns to five interceptions. He posted the same touchdown-to-interception ratio in seven games with five starts in 2022.
His erratic play made him unsuited to the style of football the Steelers needed to play on offense. He tried to be explosive but struggled to keep the football out of harm’s way. Authoring the bulk of a crushing three-game losing streak, he walked off the field in his last game of action looking dejected.
The Steelers have struggled to maintain a stout offensive line, and they fired their offensive coordinator in-season. There are excuses to try to explain away various performance issues, but not enough to justify Trubisky’s particular struggles.
The Steelers owed him $5.25 million for the 2024 season, including a $1 million roster bonus. They save a little under $3 million against the 2024 salary cap, in addition to his 2025 salary for next year.
There’s hardly any going back once you’re demoted to the third string, which is what Trubisky faced. The writing has been on the wall since the moment Rudolph stepped onto the field. Now they just have to re-sign Rudolph, who is due to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year.
